As a watchman, my job is to give people warnings to prepare for the destruction that’s coming (see Ezekiel 33:6) Warnings are not just spiritual or political. They are practical as well. While you may have heard our spiritual “leaders” call for a return to prayer and repentance – using II Chronicles 7:14 as “backdrop”, there is a practical side to preparation as well. I believe that preparation has not just one but three sides to it. I call it PSA:

1) Pray Up.

2) Stock Up.

3) Arm Up.

When I say pray up I mean make sure you have a right relationship with God. That if there is unconfessed sin that it is between you and the Holy Spirit to deal with it and get rid of it. That is not say that Pastoral or Elder counsel is not needed. It is to say that since the Holy Spirit does lead and guide into all truth, let Him lead you in that direction also.

To stock up does not mean you cling on to Philippians 4:19 and do nothing. In any relationship there is a partnership. In this case, you do your part and God does His. What is your part? Again by the leading of the Holy Spirit, you make provision for you and your family to survive the impending danger. This may mean buying some extra canned food, some water, soap, or any other day to day needs that the purpose is to get you through the “storm” that’s coming. This means also – if you can afford to, buy some gold or silver in the event paper currency may become worthless or unavailable.

Lastly, to arm up means simply that. You take on the responsibility to defend yourself, your family and your home from anyone intending to do you harm. While prayer should be you first line of defense, it should not be your only one. For those who believe that prayer alone is only thing that is needed to defend what God has entrusted to you, you will be rudely and sadly awakened to the sin saturated world we live in. (Ferguson, MO. anyone?)

This being said it does not mean that I negate or ignore the Rapture of the Church. However, as sure as I am of the financial collapse that will befall America and thereby reduce this nation to a third world nation status, I am equally sure of the following three things that the Rapture and the collapse of the American economy have in common:

1) BOTH events are eminent. You can’t pray, fast or wish them away. They are coming and you can’t stop them.

2) BOTH events will arrive without warning. Neither event needs a precursor event to happen.

3) No human being on the planet (including your Pastor) knows which event will happen FIRST. So why be prepared for one event and NOT the other?

In this holiday season we have many things to be thankful for. Among these is to be thankful to those who would risk it all to tell you the truth and get prepared for the danger that is to come.